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The Flaming Lips

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The Flaming Lips:
These forerunners of alternative rock have been giving us their quirky lyrics and psychedelic sound since the late eighties. Although they only have one top ten single to their credit, the band has been able to forge critical acclaim and has kept on making noise for over a quarter of a century. You can catch these space rockers on tour as The Flaming Lips concert schedule has the band on the road internationally throughout spring and summer 2011.

The Oklahoma natives formed in 1983 when brothers Wayne and Mark Coyne joined bassist Michael Irvins in a garage band. They debuted in Oklahoma City and hired Richard English on drums shortly thereafter, releasing their debut EP "The Flaming Lips," in 1984. Wayne soon departed, and the band continued on with Mark taking over the role as lead vocalist. They were signed to Pink Dust Records to record their first LP, 1986's "Hear It Is," and several follow-ups that were minimally noticed on college rock stations. The band released another three albums on Pink Dust Records including, "In a Priest Driven Ambulance (1989)," which brought the band critical acclaim and the attention of major labels. While on tour promoting the album, the band was noticed by Warner Bros. Records who quickly signed them to the major label after a rep was captivated by their live style.

They took a couple of years to prepare their major label debut, "Hit to Death in the Future Head," which was released in 1992. The album was not commercially successful and the band went through lineup changes in the meantime. They regrouped in 1993 to release "Transmissions from the Satellite heart." The album garnered them increased commercial success and notoriety for their odd performances and avant garde style. It featured their only hit single, "She Don't Use Jelly," and in support of the album, Flaming Lips tour dates were booked as the opening act for the Red Hot Chili Peppers tour.

In support of the album, the Flaming Lips concert schedule included nearly three years of constant touring. They did find the time to produce a follow-up, "Clouds Taste Metallic," which was released in 1995 to cult classic fame. The band was whittled down to a trio during this time and struggled to redefine themselves in an era of mainstream alternative rock that the label was pushing them to produce. They instead experimented with the surround sound album, "Zaireeka," which featured four discs that were designed to be played simultaneously.

While "Zaireeka," and the critically acclaimed follow-up, "The Soft Bulletin," made minimal impact on the album charts, it catapulted the band to almost every critic's "Best of Lists" and established a new direction in the band's sound. The band continued to tour and in 2003 The Flaming Lips concert schedule included a co-headlining tour with Cake and Modest Mouse. The Flaming Lips also booked a headlining spot at the 2003 Coachella Valley Music Festival. Also in 2003, the band produced the electronic friendly, "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots," which marked the band's first entrance onto the Billboard 200 when it peaked at #50. The album was certified gold and the single, "Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon (Utopia Planitia)," was awarded with the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

The band followed up with "At War with the Mystics," in 2006 which won a Grammy for Best Engineered album in 2007, and "Embryonic" which debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200 in 2009 marking their first top ten entry. Most recently the band re-recorded Pink Floyd's classic "Dark Side of the Moon," which offers a song for song re-do of the iconic album. The Flaming Lips booked tour dates at Bonnaroo Festival in 2010 and continue to tour throughout 2011. The Flaming Lips concert schedule includes over twenty scheduled dates throughout North America and Europe. Don't miss out on these psychedelic hipster rockers, catch one of their space age shows when they come to your area. Use Eventful as your source for info on the Flaming Lips concert schedule and tour dates.